This invention relates to mobile wireless communications systems and generally to the field of the antenna facilities which include amplification circuits to compensate for the losses generated by connecting the antenna facilities to the base station through coaxial cables, and more specifically, relates to the configurations of the antenna facilities including a printed wire board on which an antenna element and/or electronic circuits are assembled, and the configurations of the combiner to connect said antenna element.
Distributed antenna are provided to enhance the service area of a PHS (Personal Handy Phone System) or PCS (Personal Communication System) which service area is sometimes limited by a small power output and obstructions such as walls and/or ceilings that block RF signals, and to distribute the RF signals for ensuring of small in size and economical solutions.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/546,842 of Y. Niki, assigned to the same assignee as here, discloses several embodiments of a duplex RF repeater, having an amplifier in various configurations for receiving, amplifying, and re-transmitting down-link signals from a base station into an obstructed area, and also for receiving up-link signals from subscriber units in the obstructed area, amplifying them and re-transmitting the amplified signals to the base station. In one embodiment disclosed in that patent, an up-link amplifier and a down-link amplifier, and an isolation means between them that receive both up-link and down-link signals from a base station, amplify these signals, and retransmit these signals through divider means into downstream antenna means and RF transmission cable means communicating with the next stage of the duplex RF repeater.
Problems may arise with the above described duplex RF repeater when applied for installation in actual personal communication systems. Since the downstream antenna must be installed separately from the main-box of the duplex RF repeater, connectors and connection cables are needed, and this increases the total cost of the systems
The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus for amplifying the RF signals to/from a base station to enhance the coverage of the serving area where the obstructions otherwise reduce the RF signal levels, and distributing one or more RF carriers assigned for the personal communications system into a plurality of the micro-cell service area to achieve economical installation cost.
In brief summary, antenna means and other electronic circuits are assembled on a printed circuit board and said printed circuit board is covered with a plastic case and partially by a metal shielding case. Combiner means are provided to adopt a built-in common antenna element.
In one embodiment, antenna means and other electronic circuits are assemble on a printed circuit board, and said printed circuit board is housed in a plastic case and partially covered by a metal shield.
In a second embodiment, the combiner means is constructed by a circulator, divider, directional coupler, and/or electronic switch to connect a common antenna means to receive and re-transmit the RF signals to/from subscriber units within a serving area.
In a third embodiment, the combiner means include a digital transceivers to connect common antenna means by repeating the RF signals and converting the protocol and/or frequencies of said RF signals.